House-shaped craters dot the skyline,
monuments to war's demand,
in the midst of baroque buildings
allies sowed bombs in the land.
Where there was a church or palace,
there now grows a shopping mall,
no more Jugendstil, nor sculptures,
all new things are plain and tall.
Where there once was quaint tradition,
coffee house and home-made stew,
there we now eat fishy sushi,
followed by a Starbucks brew.